I have said it before Cours/dacity xMOOCs are businesses who have large debts to repay, they are not social reformers.

There are a few other players such as Edx/Classto Go, CanvasNet and other who have a different model and are worth looking at.

But surely, if we are serious about a social commitment to education that leads to a real qualification that will help make an actual change to peoples lives we should be looking at the OER University model.

It predates all the xMOOC fluff and is an extension of years of work done by the Commonwealth of Learning. Unfortunately, no U.S. Ivy League universities or Gates style philanthropists are involved so it has not made the same splash with Forbes and the New York Times.

The Open Educational Resource (OER) university is a virtual collaboration of like-minded institutions committed to creating flexible pathways for OER learners to gain formal academic credit.

The OER university aims to provide free learning to all students worldwide using OER learning materials with pathways to gain credible qualifications from recognised education institutions. It is rooted in the community service and outreach mission to develop a parallel learning universe to augment and add value to traditional delivery systems in post-secondary education. Through the community service mission of participating institutions we will open pathways for OER learners to earn formal academic credit and pay reduced fees for assessment and credit.